Steel bars, referred to as reinforcement bars, are often provided in concrete structures to provide greater structural strength to these structures. The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for supporting such reinforcement bars. The present invention is generally applicable to any concrete structure containing reinforcement bars; however, the present invention is particularly useful when used to support reinforcement bars used in preformed concrete structures and that application will be discussed in detail herein. The scope of the invention should nonetheless be determined by the attached claims and not the following detailed description.
In preformed concrete structures, such as highway dividers and wall panels, reinforcement bars are first placed within a form for creating the finished concrete structure. The concrete is then poured into the form and allowed to harden so that the resulting solidified concrete structure takes the general shape of the interior of the form. The solidified structure may then be removed from the form and used as desired.
Ideally, the concrete in its liquid state completely surrounds the reinforcement bars within the form; however, if the reinforcement bars are touching the bottom of the form, they will not be completely surrounded by concrete. The resulting solidified concrete structure thus has reinforcement bar that is exposed to the environment. The exposed reinforcement bar may rust, and the rust may eat into the reinforcement bar within the solidified structure, eventually destroying the structural integrity of the solidified concrete structure.
The above-described problem can be alleviated by supporting the reinforcement bar within the mold while the liquid concrete is poured therein. Such support prevents the reinforcement bar from contacting the bottom of the mold and thereby ensures that the concrete will completely surround the bar. The reinforcement bar in the solidified concrete structure will thus not be exposed to the environment and will not be susceptible to rust.